Official Synopsis:
The legacy of Alien Nation, the truly original and exciting sci-fi series, continues in this magnificent collection of TV movies. Follow the further adventures of Los Angeles police detective Matt Sikes and his partner George Francisco, a fugitive slave from the planet Tencton who must, along with his brethren, struggle to assimilate to life on his adopted planet without sacrificing his own cultural identity. This intelligent, enthralling, and action-packed collection is a must-own for Alien Nation fans and science fiction fans alike!

Alien Nation: Dark Horizon -
Dark Horizon picks up right where the series left off when Ahpossno, a ruthless Overseer, is sent to Earth to return the Tenctonese to slavery, putting the fate of the entire planet on the line.

Alien Nation: Body And Soul -
Sikes and Francisco investigate the case of a girl who appears to be half-human and half-Tenctonese, and Sikes and his Newcomer love interest must learn about interspecies physiology.

Alien Nation: Millennium -
With the twentieth century drawing to a close, Francisco's son Buck is drawn into a deadly cult, and it's up to Francisco and Sikes to save Buck and uncover the cult's sinister truth.

Alien Nation: The Enemy Within -
Francisco is forced to confront his own prejudices while investigating the death of an Eeno, a member of a lowly and reviled caste of Tenctonese waste-eaters.

Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy -
Could there be a connection between law-abiding Newcomers committing violent crimes and the Udara, a Tenctonese extremist movement dedicated to overthrowing the Overseers?

  
Our Take:
Alien Nation remains one of my favorite science fiction television shows of all time, even all these years after it left the air. It was unceremoniously canceled by Fox after just one season,  but the network clearly knew it made a mistake in killing the show, as it eventually produced a total of five follow-up TV movies, now collected in Alien Nation: Ultimate Movie Collection. Watching these movies now, I was amazed to see how well the show still holds up, even despite some questionable hair styles (at least on the humans) and fashion choices.

Like so much of the best science fiction, Alien Nation used its sci-fi platform to provide great entertainment but also to deliver a message. The themes of racism and tolerance are as plain as the day is long, but because its couched in this humans-vs.-Newcomers approach, it never feels like the show is hitting you over the head with a message. That’s the mark of a great show to me.

The first movie in the set, Dark Horizons, picks up just where the series leaves off; the show originally ended on a cliffhanger. Each movie continues with a self-contained story, but each one also slightly advances the mythology of the show and the development of the characters. By the end, there is a fairly satisfying conclusion to the series.

Best of all, for fans there is a nice collection of extra features included on this set. Way to go, Fox!

* Full-Length Audio Commentary on all Five Movies – With controversial yet well-loved producer/director Kenneth Johnson.
* Four Making-Of Featurettes (20-25 minutes each) – Behind-the-scenes documentaries on each of the first four films.
* A Family Gathering - A Retrospective (25 minutes) – A nice new cast reunion. Very cool!
* Gag Reels – Three blooper reels.

* Still Galleries – One for each film.

Alien Nation: Ultimate Movie Collection gives you five movies in one set, and I’d say that as a whole, they stand up pretty well against any other multiple-movie collection you can buy. Even if you’re not already a fan of the show, between this and the Alien Nation: The Complete Series collection released last year, for a small investment you can own the complete set of one of the best sci-fi shows in the past 20 years.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:
Movies (average): A-
DVD: A+

- Mike Spring

Editor